Freshman Year Regrets?

As I’m quickly coming to the end of my college career, people always ask me if there was anything I would do differently in my last 3½ years here at USC—if I were to do freshman year all over again, what would I change.

The answer? Be more open!

Obviously I’ve loved my time here at USC and I wouldn’t want to trade my experiences here for the world. But the one thing I wish I had done more of as a freshman was being a little more open about meeting people. I’m the kind of person that would rather have a few close friends than a big group of friends, but I wish I had pushed myself just a little more when I had the opportunity.

My dorm celebrated the end of freshman year at the beach!

My challenge to you: Take advantage of being a freshman! This is the time to knock on your neighbor’s door and introduce yourself (and living in the dorms really helps!). Ask that person sitting next to you in class if they want to study for the midterm with you. Join any and all clubs or organizations. Go to events held on campus or planned by your RA (resident advisor who lives in your dorm)-and most of these events are free!

Freshman year our RAs took us to Disneyland for free!!

The great thing about freshman year is that everyone is new and no one really knows anyone yet or even what to expect about college life. So introduce yourself to as many people as possible and get to know the people around you—you never know who you’re going to be life-long friends with!